Man In Motion
by toastmania
Summary: Glee AU. Sam loses everything, but gains more than he could possibly imagine. Rated M for later.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Glee and I don't know where I'm going with this.

Man in Motion

**Growin' up - you don't see the writing on the wall.  
Passin' by  
Movin' straight ahead you knew it all.  
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain  
You'll find you're all alone  
Everything has changed.**

Sam felt like he was drowning. Mercedes was his lifeline, his whole world. After Valentine's Day it had seemed simple enough: she needed time, so he would give her time. In the meantime, he started making plans. Once he graduated, he'd get a job and go to community college and save up money so that he could move to wherever she ended up. They'd be apart for awhile, but it would be worth it. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, so he'd do anything for her. Follow her anywhere. All he had to do was be patient.

Then at graduation she'd shattered his world. She was going to UCLA. He was staying in Lima. There was no way they could make things work. She still loved him, but they were over. None of his arguments moved her.

"_Sam, please…stop." Mercedes turned her head and blinked tears out of her eyes._

"_Why are you doing this?" Sam grabbed her hand, as he tried to_ _hold back his own tears._

"_I'm moving clear across the country, Sam. How is this going to work? We wouldn't be able to see each other. I'd rather end this now than have it slowly die." Her breath was still hitching and she refused to look back at him._

"_Don't you love me Mercedes? We can make this work. I just need some time, then I'll be there with you," Sam grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently._

"_Yes, I love you. You don't know how much." Mercedes finally looked him in the eyes. "Sam, how much time are we talking? A year? Two years? We couldn't even last a month when you moved four hours away. How will this be any different? I need this to end now while we can still have those happy memories and no hard feelings. I don't want to **try** to make it work. I want to stop it now."_

"_Don't you care that you're breaking my heart?" His voice broke and the tears that he had been holding back overflowed._

"_I care Sam! I don't want to do this, but I think it's best. Better now than later. I…I have to go." Her body shook with sobs that she wasn't bothering to hold back anymore. She broke from his grasp and ran to her car. He stood and watched her drive away, realizing that it was really over this time._

His lifeline was cut and he felt adrift and lost. He had no idea what to do. His plans for the future were down the drain. So, now here he was, sitting in the Hudson-Hummel living room trying to keep his mind on the video game that he was playing and failing miserably. He'd just died for the tenth time, so he gave up and dropped out of the board.

His friends paused the game and looked over at him, but kept silent. He knew that they were worried about him, but he couldn't find the words to reassure them. Finally, Kurt cleared his throat and opened his mouth only to close it again. Sam knew it was a huge testament to their friendship that the boy was forgoing a girl's day and time with Blaine to hang around the house and play Halo with him, Finn and Mike. Sam appreciated the sentiment, but he felt like it was a wasted effort. He didn't want to hang out with his friends; he just wanted to be alone.

Whatever Kurt had started to say, he obviously changed his mind and decided to stick to trivialities. "Are you and Puck going to check out apartments today?"

Sam shrugged and mumbled, "That's the plan." The original plan had been to get a job, go to Lima Community College, and share an apartment with Puck. Then once he had his associates, he'd transfer to somewhere close to Mercedes. When Mercedes ended things, his parents had urged him to move back with them, but Puck negated that idea.

"_Dude, just because you got your heart stomped on doesn't mean that you should go crawling off like you're some loser or something. Are you going to feel any better in Kentucky? Uh, no. So you're staying here, and moving in with me. Some Puckasaurus fun is exactly what the doctor ordered to get over Hot Mamma." Puck folded his arms over his chest and dared Sam to disagree. _

"Well, that's…good." Kurt bit his lip and glared at Finn ad Mike, who just shrugged helplessly.

"Ummm…" He could see Kurt searching for another conversational gambit, but before the boy could come up with anything Sam's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw 'Home'.

"Sorry guys. It's my parents." Sam stood up started to walk towards the door. He was relieved to be rescued from the awkward conversation, but he figured that he was about to be trapped in another. His family had driven up from Kentucky to watch him get his diploma, so they knew exactly what had happened with Mercedes. They had been checking in regularly ever since. He sighed as his accepted the call.

"Hello."

"Sam?" A vaguely familiar voice questioned hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Sam brows knit together and he frowned. He knew he had heard the feminine voice before, but it wasn't his mom and it certainly wasn't Stacy.

"It's… it's Kim. Stacey and Stevie's babysitter?" The voice continued.

"Oh. Kim. Sure. What's up?" He'd met Kim a few times when he'd gone home for his monthly weekends.

"I'm so sorry to call like this," she stopped for a second and Sam heard her choke back what sounded like a sob.

His heart sped up. Was something wrong with one of the kids? "What's wrong?" He asked tensely.

"Your parents got me to stay with the kids so that they could go out tonight. There was an accident." The voice broke and she stopped again.

"Are the kids alright" Sam gripped the phone and waited for the answer

"Stacey and Stevie are fine. It's not them. It's your parents." Sam tried to speak, but his voice wouldn't seem to come out.

"Oh, God. Sam, I'm so sorry." Kim's voice broke again and she let out a sob.

"What….are they in the hospital?" Sam managed to choke out.

"No. They're gone."


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, so after a lot of thought at work I finally know where I'm going with this. It's going to be a long process, so I hope a few of you are up for the ride with me. And to explain, the regular storyline will follow Sam, but there will be some flashback chapters featuring Mercedes' point of view.

And thanks Monlight015, PerfectLover, OMG, and Toni Michelle. I appreciate they reviews. Also, I'm a little unsure about this part, so give me an honest opinion. I may end up editing depending on what people think. Anyway.

Man in Motion

_You know you have to end things with Sam for good, right?_

_Uh, what now?_

_You heard me._

_No, I think I hallucinated. Why would I end things with Sam? I love him and he loves me. _

_Can I be honest with you? You may love Sam, and he may love you, but let's get real. You're moving to L.A. He's staying in Lima. How's that going to work out?_

_He said that he'd move to L.A. once he gets his money situation in order._

_Yeah, ok. How long is that going to take?_

_It doesn't matter. We'll make it work until we can be together._

_That's a really great sentiment. But come on. You have to be practical here. You know that Sam is a romantic. He's always got his head in the clouds. He doesn't have a practical bone in his body. So you have to do the thinking for both of you._

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_It means that you need to do what's best for both of you. It'll take Sam at least a year or more to get his shit together. Are you really banking on your relationship lasting that long? It didn't work that way last time._

_Being together is what's best for both of us…_

_Do you really want to start your new life tied down in a relationship with someone that far away? And is it fair to Sam to ask him to do the same? Don't you think he might get tired of it?_

_Sam would never cheat…_

_No, he wouldn't. He'd stay true because that's the kind of guy he is. But don't you think he might resent it? _

_No, I…_

_Do you want a relationship based on duty and resentment? You'd start to feel it too._

_But…_

_Mercedes, you have to be fair to him and to yourself. You're both too young to make this decision. Sam had three girlfriends last year and spent half of this year chasing after you. He's in love with the idea of being in love. Do you think that either of you are emotionally mature enough to handle the kind of relationship that you're planning on starting? You're talking about forever when you haven't been together in almost a year. There's no firm ground for you to start on. You both need to be free to grow up and find yourselves. If you do this, you'll be holding yourselves back. Don't you want what's best for Sam?_

_Yes!_

_Well, then. Maybe you should let him find his own dreams instead of just letting him blindly follow yours. _

_But, I. I love him._

_You know I'm right, don't you?_

_Yes._

_OK. You know what you have to do. I know that it's hard, but you'll see that it's the best thing to do. You don't want him to sacrifice his future for you. In the end he'd hate you for it._

_Mercedes waited for the door to close behind her visitor before she let the sobs that had threatened to overtake her come._


	3. Chapter 3

It was strange. During such a momentous time small, small details were magnified in memory completely out of proportion to their true significance. And big events were vague and hazy. He remembered feeling his knees hit the floor, then hearing his cell phone clatter on the hard wood as it slipped from his hand. The whole world seemed like it had slipped into slow motion and he felt hands on his shoulders and a voice asking what was wrong. He couldn't answer. Hell, he couldn't even think. All he could do was hear those horrible words echoing over and over in his head. '_They're gone_.' It was like a never-ending refrain.

He barely remembered what happened after that. He had a vague remembrance of Puck showing up. There was a whispered discussion and he ended up stuffed in the back of Puck's car with Kurt while Mike gave directions from the passenger seat. He was barely aware that Kurt was making calls to the rest of the Glee club. Sam couldn't bring himself to care. All he could think of was that he was in a nightmare and would have to wake up soon. He wished Mercedes was there to hold his hand.

Suddenly Sam looked up. The car had stopped. They were in front of his parent's house.

"Sam. Sam, come on. We need to go in." Mike opened the door and put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Come on man."

"Yeah. Yeah, ok." Sam didn't recognize his own voice, and he felt slightly disoriented as the world around him came back into focus and resumed its normal pace. He let Mike pull him out of the car and joined the boys as they made their way to the front door. Kurt raised his hand to knock, but before he could the door burst open and Sam's brother Stevie stumbled out onto the porch.

"Sam," Stevie was breathing hard like he had been running. "Sam, tell her they're lying. The police were here and Kim won't listen. They said Mom and Dad are dead, but I told her they were lying and she won't listen!" Stevie clenched his fists and glared behind him. "I told her when you came that you'd tell the truth. Tell her!" Stevie was screaming now and Sam came the rest of the way out of his daze with a start. He grabbed his little brother into a tight hug as sobs began to wrack his small body.

Over Stevie's shoulder he saw Kim run down the hallway to the door. "Oh, Sam. Thank God." The older girl looked a wreck. Her hair was falling out of a ponytail and her red rimmed eyes stood out from her pale face. "Stacey fell asleep and I was just putting her to bed when I heard Stevie…. Shit, you all need to come inside. Sorry." Kim moved away from the door. Sam scooped Stevie up in his arms and walked into the house, closely followed by his friends.

* * *

It had taken over an hour to calm Stevie down, but the sobbing boy had finally fallen asleep in Sam's arms. He laid the young boy down on his bed and returned to the living room.

"I made some coffee. I figured that you guys could use it." Kim deposited the tray she was carrying on the coffee table and sank down in an arm chair. "I am so sorry Sam." Tears gathered in her eyes and she choked back a sob.

Sam nodded his head, but was still unable to speak.

Kurt finally broke the silence in the room. "Kim, you talked to the police. What happened?"

Kim took a few deep breaths before she could begin. "Mrs. Evans called me to come babysit tonight. But then she asked if I could come earlier in the afternoon. They were going out for the day to celebrate Mr. Evans getting a raise. They were going on some sort of picnic date that they used to have a lot when they first started dating. They were both so excited when I showed up; they were giggling and flirting like teenagers," she stopped to wipe away fresh tears. "I don't really know what happened after that. A few hours later a state trooper showed up at the door. He said they had been blindsided by a drunk driver. He ran their car off the road and it flipped. They were killed on impact…" Kim trailed off and looked over at Sam.

Sam could feel the pressure of tears building up behind his eyes, but they wouldn't fall. He wished they would so that the burning ache in his chest would stop.

* * *

They fell asleep in the living room, draped over couches and chairs. Kim had offered to stay and help out with the kids or anything else that the group needed, but Sam saw that she was practically dead on her feet, and refused. It wasn't her problem and she had given up her entire night to help deal with the situation. He walked her to the door and she promised to come by tomorrow to check in on them. The group had awoken in the morning to the sound of car doors slamming in front of the house.

Carol and Burt Hummel were climbing out of their SUV with Finn and Rory exiting the back, as Sam and his friends spilled out the front door onto the porch.

"Rory? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Ireland?" Sam's voice came out in a croak as he stared at the group coming up the front walk.

"Yeah, I cancelled my ticket. This was more important. Ma says she'll come visit me before school starts up again, though." Rory shrugged as he gave Sam a tight hug. Burt and Carol both hugged him as well, while Finn gave him a half smile and a gentle punch to the shoulder, all offering their condolences.

Their conversation was interrupted by two other cars pulling up: Mike's parents with Tina, then Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Sam looked for Mercedes and his heart dropped into his stomach when he didn't see her. Mike went to talk to his parents and Mrs. Jones rushed up to hug him.

"Baby, I am so sorry. How are you holding up honey? Where are Stacie and Stevie? Have any of you had breakfast yet?" Mrs. Jones pulled away, taking his face in both of her hands.

Sam opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't figure out which question to answer first. "Don't worry sweetie. I know. There's more of the caravan showing up soon, so you stay here. I'll go wake the kids and make breakfast for everyone." Mrs. Jones kissed his forehead and headed into the house. Despite the situation, Sam couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the force of nature that was Naomi Jones.

Mr. Jones approached and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry son. Naomi and I will be here to help while you get this mess straightened out." The older man pulled Sam into a hug and Sam held on tight. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were like a second family to him and he felt a little better now that they were here. Except that Mercedes was nowhere to be seen. "Don't worry. She's on her way." Richard Jones ruffled Sam's hair before following his wife into the house.

Over the next hour and a half Quinn showed up with Joe and Artie in tow; then Mr. Shue with Emma and, much to Sam's surprise, Coaches Sue, Roz, and Beiste. Sue had immediately rushed into the house to pee. Coach Roz was hollering about crazy jerry curled history teachers driving like her great granddaddy. Will had a dazed expression as he spoke to Sam that gave the impression that he was teetering on the brink of sanity. Emma and Beiste just looked relieved that the trip was over. Almost everyone he cared for was gathered in the house; people he never would have expected to show up were here. Kurt even pulled him aside to say that Rachel was catching the first flight she could from New York. But the one person he desperately needed was still not here.

* * *

Mrs. Jones had sent her husband, Burt and Mr. Chang to the grocery store so that she could keep feeding the new arrivals. Stacey and Stevie were up and his friends had taken them out to the back yard to play, hoping to distract them from what was going on. Kim had even shown back up to help and seemed slightly dazed by the pure chaos that was going on around her.

Sam felt like his head was going to explode, so he slipped out to sit on the front porch. He sat there letting his thoughts drift, trying his best to pretend that he was just home for a visit and his mom would be coming to look for him any second. Suddenly he was recalled to reality when he heard car doors slamming. He looked up in time to see Brittany and Santana running towards him. They both tackled him and knocked him back on the porch floor.

"Hey, Trouty. We'd have been here sooner, but Britt tied to smuggle Lord Tubbington in her bag and then she broke the GPS." Santana rolled her eyes lovingly at her girlfriend's antics.

"I had to let the poor, trapped woman inside of it free. Oh, and Lord Tubbington is FedExing himself down here, so keep your eyes open for any thirty pound packages." Britt finished off by giving him a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.

Sam chuckled under his breath as Santana and Brittney picked themselves up off of him and walked into the house. When he finally looked up again, his heart stopped and he felt goose bumps down his arms, but he wasn't cold. She was there. Standing in front of him. He slowly rose and stood frozen to the ground, sure he was imagining things. He closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, she was still there, but now she was walking towards him. Before he could stop himself he stepped off the porch and met her half way. She reached out to wrap her arms around him and hold him close. Sam closed his eyes again, this time to breath in her scent. When she started whispering in his ear, he finally let go of the tears that he'd been holding onto since yesterday and cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is another Mercedes flashback moment. Also, I don't own Glee, yadda, yadda, yadda. And feedback is always appreciated. **

_Mercedes lay on her bed staring at the purple walls of her bedroom. She wasn't sleeping, or listening to music, or even thinking. In fact, she was expending a lot of energy trying not to think. She was spending just as much energy holding back the tears that threatened to spill every time a thought did enter her head. Because all of those thoughts were related to Sam. The look in his eyes as she walked away from him after graduation haunted her. She had broken him. And she had broken herself as well. It was no good telling herself that it was for the best anymore. She had made a mistake and she knew it. Why did she listen to other people when her heart was telling her all she needed to hear? _

_She felt the despised tears welling up in her eyes again. She just couldn't help it. She had really screwed it up this time. It was worse than breaking up with Sam when he left for Kentucky, worse even than Valentine's Day. Those had been bad times for them, but in her heart of hearts she knew that it wasn't really over either time. Each time Sam had proved that he would fight for them. This time, though – there was no fighting. When she walked away _this_ time, he cut himself off from her. There was no trying or pretending to be just friends. No, this time it was over. She'd broken his heart one too many times and now she had to deal with the consequences. _

_She started up guiltily from the bed as she heard a knock on the door. Wiping her eyes surreptitiously, she turned to see her mom leaning against the door jam with a frown on her face._

"_Baby girl, are you going to tell me what's wrong, or do I have to guess?" Naomi Jones pushed off the door and crossed the room to sit on the edge of her daughter's bed._

"_Nothing's wrong mom," Mercedes denied._

"_You've been holed up in here staring at the wall for days over nothing? Ok. Then Twenty Questions it is. Except I only need one. This is about Sam isn't it?" She raised her eyebrows and waited for the predictable denial._

"_No…" Mercedes tried, she really did, but her throat constricted and her voice became thick with tears. She let out a tiny whimper._

"_Sweetie…" Naomi gathered her daughter in her arms and held her as she sobbed. "Baby, I know you love Sam. Why did you break up with him?" She smoothed Mercedes hair._

"_It was best. It was long distance, and he deserves to have a chance to do his own thing, and I don't want us to resent each other, and I owe it to him…" Mercedes vocalized all of the stupid cliché's that had torn her heart apart. Every single one of them. And her heart broke all over again._

"_That's a fine speech." Naomi pulled back to watch the expression on her daughter's face. "Want to tell me the real reason?"_

_Mercedes felt her defenses rise. She should have known she couldn't fool her mother. "Why are you taking Sam's side?"_

"_I'm not taking anyone's side. But baby, Sam is such a wonderful person and he loves you just as much as you love him." Naomi looked her daughter square in the eye, challenging her defensiveness. _

"_Why do you want me to be with Sam so bad?" Mercedes was starting to get angry. She knew she made a mistake, but weren't her parents supposed to support her no matter what? Instead, here was her mother pushing her to get back with Sam. Well, that bridge was burned and she really just wanted a little support. Not have someone rub salt into her already raw wounds. Was that too much to ask? "Even when I was with Shane you wished I was with Sam. You _and _daddy! You never liked Shane at all!"_

"_That's not true, baby girl. Your father and I thought Shane was a lovely young man…" she trailed off._

"_But?" Mercedes drew the word out and waited for the response. Her parents' reaction had been a sore subject the entire time she had dated Shane._

"_But, he wasn't right for you. He was smart and polite and ambitious, yes. But after a month he was talking like you two were getting married and living his idea of the 'dream'. What he would do in school and his football career. And babies! After a month? There was never a word in there about you or your future, except in support of his. Your father and I wanted more than that for you. You are better than just getting your Mrs. Degree." Naomi squeezed Mercedes' hands sympathetically. _

"_So, that was your _only_ problem with him?" she narrowed her eyes and stared suspiciously at her mother._

"_Yeees. Well, that and he just wasn't….. Sam," Naomi finally conceded._

"_I knew it!" Mercedes huffed out a breath. "You know, Sam talked about those things, too." _

"_Yes, he did a bit," her mother said slowly. "But baby, he talked about the things he would do and the things you would do and the things you'd to together. You were never an afterthought to him."_

"_Mom…" Mercedes desperately wanted to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She was so tired._

"_Stop trying to change the subject." Naomi tucked a strand of Mercedes hair behind her ear. "Why are you breaking your heart and his like this?"_

"_I…" Mercedes sighed heavily. She might as well get the story out. Her mother wouldn't settle for any less. "Before graduation… Quinn came to see me. We were talking about things: our plans, relationships, Sam, Joe. She told me that she was breaking up with Joe before she left because she wanted to start her future completely free of the past. Then we started talking about me and Sam…"_

"_Damnit!" Naomi spat out once Mercedes had detailed the conversation. "That girl is lucky I love her, or I'd wring her neck right now! _

"_Mom!" Mercedes was shocked at her response. "The things she said were right. They were true!"_

"_Yes, honey. They were, to a degree. But don't you think that this is something that you should have discussed with Sam instead of Quinn? Especially before you made the decision for the both of you?" Naomi asked gently._

"_Mom." Mercedes really, _really_ didn't want to talk about this anymore. Because her mom was right. And she was an idiot._

"_Baby, I'm not trying to make you feel bad." Naomi hugged her again. "If this is what you really believe is best, I won't try to change your mind. But I will tell you this: Sam Evans is one in a million. You know this. He is sweet, and smart and kind. He loves without boundaries and throws down for what is important to him. You know what he's been through and what he's given up. He isn't a boy baby girl, he's a man. Probably the only man I would ever trust with you. He will do wonderful things someday – hell, he's done wonderful things already. There is a light that shines so bright inside of him. Just consider that before you make any permanent decisions."_


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the long wait. School is _hard_.

**Play the game - you know you can't quit until it's won.  
Soldier on, only you can do what must be done.  
You know  
In some ways you're a lot like me  
You're just a prisoner and you're tryin' to break free.**

It was easier now that she was here. Sam felt better, more grounded. She knew him better than anyone ever had. So, when panic started crawling up his throat and threatening to choke him or it felt like his heart might explode in his chest, she just instinctively knew. She would squeeze his hand or hug him and the terrifying feelings would dissipate.

She was doing it now. He was sitting in the living room going over legal documents and papers with Mr. Chang. He had informed Sam that he would be taking care of any legalities that would arise from "this difficult situation". Mr. Chang was far too proper to say something indiscreet. Sam wanted to laugh at that, but he didn't want to hurt the older man's feelings. He was very grateful that Mr. Chang was offering his services free of charge for no other reason than Sam was a close friend of his son's. So, he didn't laugh. But he couldn't quite keep his mind focused on the task at hand, either. He was too busy focusing on the rapid acceleration of his heart.

"Sam?" Mercedes whispered in his ear and he could feel the frantic speed of his heart start to slow as she gently rubbed his arm with one hand and squeezed his hand with her other.

"Sorry, sorry," Sam sighed. "Whatever you think is best Mr. Chang."

"Ok, then. Since your parents have those plots at St. Michael's in Tennessee, you should probably just use them," Mr. Chang made a few notes on a legal pad without looking up.

"Yeah," he let out the breath that he'd been holding. "I think that's what they wanted."

"Well. That's all for now, then. I'll make some phone calls and we'll talk some more later." Mr. Chang stood up, gathered his papers, and paused to lay his hand on Sam's shoulder before making his way out of the room.

"Sam" Mercedes voice was soft, and he loved how his name sounded when it left her lips.

"Yeah?" Sam glanced at her from under the hair that had fallen in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Her eyes were warm, and full of understanding.

"I'm fine. It's just…" Sam paused, at a loss for words.

"Hard to believe? Impossible? Too soon?" Mercedes supplied for him.

"All of the above." He managed a lopsided smile for her and her eyes lit up. She leaned closer to him and he moved towards her as well, when he heard the front door open and a familiar voice.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm here so late. I had to finish up the last show at Cedar Point, and then I swung by the airport to pick up Rachel." Blaine stood beaming at the two of them, obviously oblivious to anything he might have interrupted.

Sam was grateful that Blaine was here, but he sort of wanted to slap him at the same time. He heard a feminine throat being cleared and Rachel stepped out from behind Blaine, with an apologetic look on her face. She at least saw that they had interrupted something big.

"Hi, sorry. Sam I'm so sorry about your parents." She crossed over to him to give him a quick hug and drop a kiss on Mercedes cheek. "We're going to go find the others." She grabbed Blaine, who had started to object to being pulled away, and pushed him towards the door. "Sorry we interrupted." She flashed a guilty smile before closing the door behind them.

Sam let out a deep breath and looked over at Mercedes. She seemed to be very interested in the floor at the moment. Maybe it was all for the best. Kissing Mercedes was all he wanted to do, but the timing was wrong. They weren't together. And he didn't need to try to complicate his life any more than it already was.

* * *

He had left Mercedes in the living room and went to find his brother and sister. Stacie and Stevie were engaged in a very convoluted LARPing/role-playing game in the backyard with Burt, Finn, Tina, Mike, Joe, Santana, Brittany and strangely enough Coach Roz. It seemed to be _Lord of the Rings _meets _Star Wars_. Or something.

He stood laughing when an unwelcome voice began to whisper inside of his head. This wasn't the first time that he had heard it. As a matter of fact, he had grown up with that voice. It came and went over the years, but it generally conveyed the same message. That he was a loser.

_How are you going to take care of those kids Sam? You don't have a job, money, or a place to live. What are you going to do? Go back to stripping? You're going to fuck up their lives even more than they already are. _

Sam shook his head angrily. He hated when this happened. He hated listening to that voice. But it raised very valid questions. How _was_ he going to take care of his siblings? He didn't have much of a plan right now. He'd been accepted to Ohio State, and was going to take classes at the Lima branch, but what else? He had a bunch of applications for jobs, but they weren't the kind of jobs that would support two kids. And where were they going to live? He had planned on moving in with Puck, but there was no way that could happen now. How the hell was he going to do this?

He felt the panic that had taken up permanent residence in his stomach shoot up and wrap itself around his throat, choking him. He shook his head violently and turned away from the happy scene before him and collided with a brick wall. He backed up, completely dazed and realized that he hadn't run head on into a brick wall. But straight into Mr. Jones.

"Whoa there." Richard smiled down at the boy. "You looked like you were having a fight with yourself so I thought I'd come referee before Naomi gave me more chores to do." His bright smile faded as he took in the wild look on Sam's face. "Ok, we need to talk. Come on, son."

Sam let himself be pushed through the back door and into the kitchen. For once, no one was there, so Mr. Jones sat him down at the table then took a seat across from him. "Ok, Sam. I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what is going on."

Sam took a deep breath, then another. And another. He lost count before he felt like he was calm enough to speak. Richard let him go; he was a man who had long ago learned the value of patience and understood that there was no point in pushing someone to talk when they weren't ready to.

Finally, Sam admitted, "I don't know how I'm going to take care of them."

"Stacey and Stevie?" Richard questioned, nodding thoughtfully. "Do you have any family that can help?" He asked.

"No. Mom's family is all gone, and the only close family dad has aren't exactly on speaking terms with us. Besides," Sam continued fiercely, "I'm their brother. I'm the one who should be taking care of them."

"I understand," Richard was nodding. "Just trying to get a good picture. What else was going through your head?"

"It's just… I had things planned, you know? I was gonna go to school, get a part time job, get an apartment with Puck. That all has to be off now. I don't have a job or any money, and where will we live? The more I think about it the more I freak myself out."

"I don't blame you. That's a big burden to carry on your shoulders. But you have to remember that you're not alone. You'll have more help in this than you probably want. We'll work on finding you a job, but I think you shouldn't rule college out completely. You can still do that. We'll figure it out," Richard laid his large hand on Sam's shoulder. "As for living arrangements, you'll either stay with me and Naomi or Burt and Carol until you find a place."

"Richard's right," Burt piped up from the back door. He had abandoned the game outside to come find something to drink. "You all can stay with us for as long as you like. And I meant to tell you that I'm looking for help at the garage since Finn is leaving soon. I'd like you to come on board with us."

"Not only that," Sam twisted his head to see Mr. Schue and Coach Sylvester standing in the doorway to the living room, "I need someone to help part time with the Glee club. Sue and I have been talking to Figgins about it. I think you'd be perfect for it."

"If he doesn't agree, I'll shoot him out of the cheer cannon at the Homecoming game," Sue smirked and leaned against the counter.

Sam shook his head, completely speechless. Richard chuckled and slapped Sam on the back, "What did I tell you? More help that you'll ever need or want!"


End file.
